Diaphragm

NO CHEERS FOR the medical researchers who recently discovered an inexplicable correlation between urinary tract infections and the use of a diaphragm.In an article in the June 1983 Ms. magazine, a woman urologist explained this connection and described in detail how to avoid infections while using a diaphragm. Why isn't the American Medical Association reading Ms.?Marian PriceORLANDO

Breathing. It comes so naturally -- we inhale and exhale without event thinking about it. But for patients with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, the muscles in the diaphragm deteriorate. Now a device that has been helping the heart pump for years is pushing patients further -- pumping in new life with every breath. Angela Thompson, ALS patient: "Me being able to walk and run, that was the first challenge I had. " A once avid runner was stopped in her tracks, silenced by the struggles to operate her tongue muscle.

Breathing. It comes so naturally -- we inhale and exhale without event thinking about it. But for patients with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, the muscles in the diaphragm deteriorate. Now a device that has been helping the heart pump for years is pushing patients further -- pumping in new life with every breath. Angela Thompson, ALS patient: "Me being able to walk and run, that was the first challenge I had. " A once avid runner was stopped in her tracks, silenced by the struggles to operate her tongue muscle.

Jennifer Mee has won her 15 minutes of fame for an irksome reflex that sometimes doesn't last even that long. The 15-year-old St. Petersburg girl has become the talk of TV talk shows and generated headlines, all because she began hiccuping Jan. 23 and hasn't stopped. Hiccups that last that long are unusual, says Dr. Jeremiah Donovan, an Orlando gastroenterologist. Usually with hiccups, or singultus, as doctors call them, "you get them and they go away on their own [within] a few hours," he says.

Actor Christopher Reeve has undergone an experimental surgery that doctors think will enable him to breathe regularly without a respirator for the first time since he broke his neck in a horseback accident in 1995. Physicians at University Hospitals of Cleveland used minimally invasive surgery to implant tiny electrodes, which control his breathing by stimulating the muscles of his diaphragm with a device like a pacemaker. Using the device, the paralyzed Superman star is now able to breathe without a respirator for 15 minutes per hour.

Evie Hagan, the 4-year-old Orlando girl accidentally shot June 7, showed someprogress Tuesday and can now eat soft foods.Tests showed that Evie's throat muscles are strong enough for her to swallow, but her diaphragm showed little promise of regaining the strength needed for her to breathe on her own, said Dr. Mark Swanson, administrative director of Orlando Regional Medical Center's critical care center.''The swallowing response is good. It's clear she can start eating foods like Jell-O and baby food,'' Swanson said.

There is a self-bailing system on most inflatables. It consists of a small, flexible diaphragm that usually lets the water out but not in. But this diaphragm should be checked regularly to make sure it's clean and is seating properly.Sometimes dirt, grime or foreign objects can stop the diaphragm from closing properly and therefore create a leak. There's also a plug that inserts into the self-bailing through-hull from the back of the transom.Always remove this plug before starting the outboard.

The Food and Drug Administration Monday approved a birth control device called the cervical cap, a barrier contraceptive that is already available in Europe.The cap, which fits over the base of the cervix, prevents pregnancy by blocking sperm from entering the uterus.After initial fitting by a doctor, the latex device can be inserted and removed by the user much the same way a diaphragm is.The device, which looks like a large rubber thimble, is made of pliable rubberlike material and has a firm, pliant rim.The cap, which is less than half the size of a diaphragm, comes in several sizes for a firm fit and is used in conjunction with spermicidal jelly.

ANSWER: Proper breathing is one of the most effective but least-used methods of stress management.The first thing we do when we come into this world is inhale and last thing we do is exhale. In between, proper breathing can improve how we feel.By improving your breathing, you will take in more oxygen, which enriches the lungs and blood supply. Also, when you exhale more fully, the body releases more toxins.The way we breathe is certainly connected to how we feel. If you pay more attention to how you're breathing, you can change the way you feel and reduce stress.

Cats make a purring sound with muscles around the voice box alone, researchers at Tulane University report. Cats don't use their diaphragm muscles to make purring vibrations, David Rice and his colleagues found. They report in the Journal of the Zoological Society of London that cats can purr inhaling and exhaling and can also meow independently by stretching the vocal chords of the larynx while exhaling. Despite all the research into how cats purr, however, scientists still aren't sure why they do it.

TODAY'S THE DAY Really, this is National Hiccup Day, whatever that means. But, of course, Friday is St. Patrick's Day. Which brings us to . . . POPULAR PATS 1. Pat Boone 2. N.E. Pats 3. Patty cakes CHEAP NUMBER The odds against being right on every game in your 64-team bracket are around 9 quintillion to one -- although knowing Duke probably won't lose in the first round helps. Don't get your hopes up. CHEAP BIRTHDAYS James Madison, 1751* Jerry Lewis, 1926 Erik Estrada, 1949 Ozzie Newsome, 1956 Rodney Peete, 1966 *Currently dead.

Actor Christopher Reeve has undergone an experimental surgery that doctors think will enable him to breathe regularly without a respirator for the first time since he broke his neck in a horseback accident in 1995. Physicians at University Hospitals of Cleveland used minimally invasive surgery to implant tiny electrodes, which control his breathing by stimulating the muscles of his diaphragm with a device like a pacemaker. Using the device, the paralyzed Superman star is now able to breathe without a respirator for 15 minutes per hour.

Chris Rix played for the first time since being demoted to second-string quarterback on Oct. 28 and, on his first play from scrimmage, threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Craphonso Thorpe with 14:18 remaining in the fourth quarter. "I just thank God for that opportunity to throw that pass and get that score," Rix said. "Yeah, the game was out of reach. It was one of my only passes, but it really felt good to hear all those fans screaming and to just get that feeling of throwing a touchdown again.

There is a self-bailing system on most inflatables. It consists of a small, flexible diaphragm that usually lets the water out but not in. But this diaphragm should be checked regularly to make sure it's clean and is seating properly.Sometimes dirt, grime or foreign objects can stop the diaphragm from closing properly and therefore create a leak. There's also a plug that inserts into the self-bailing through-hull from the back of the transom.Always remove this plug before starting the outboard.

Having trouble keeping your onboard toity clean? You might want to try MDR Headzyme Tabs. Just drop a tablet in the toilet and let it dissolve. It effervesces - sort of like the stuff some denture wearers drop their teeth in - and turns the water blue. Then flush the toilet. The liquid drops into the holding tank and starts enzyme action.The enzyme colony increases, breaking down waste and deodorizing the system until the tank is pumped out. Billions of microorganisms do the work.MDR says its Headzyme Tabs eliminate mixing and measuring and are biodegradable and nontoxic.

DAYTONA BEACH - A Deltona woman who was hit by a bus and stranded at the side of the road earlier this week is slowly recovering, hospital officials said.Josefina Carreno, 37, of Deltona has been upgraded to serious condition at the surgical intensive care unit at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach.Thursday, she underwent surgery to stop bleeding from her liver.Carreno was hit by a Volusia County school bus Tuesday morning while walking to work.A half-hour passed before anyone noticed her on the side of the road.

Ticklish chimpanzees may have revealed the secret of why humans and no other animal can speak, scientists say: It could all be down to breath control.When humans laugh or speak, they chop up a single breath. They can more finely control the diaphragm and other muscles involved in speech.Robert Provine of the University of Maryland said that when a chimp is tickled, it produces what's called the ''play face.'' It also pants, with each laugh a complete exhalation.''It sounds like a handsaw cutting wood,'' Provine said.

Twin girls born joined at the midsection were in excellent condition Monday after being separated and can go home in a few days, doctors said Monday. Doctors said Sara and Page Johnson, nearly 3 months old, can leave St. Mary's Hospital, a Mayo Clinic hospital, later in the week and are expected to live normal lives. A scar on their midsections will be the only sign they were joined at the breast bone, diaphragm and liver. Plastic surgeon Ricky Clay said Page will later undergo minor surgery to create a navel, because doctors gave the duo's only navel to Sara.

Question: I frequently get hiccups for no apparent reason, and they often last for hours. It can be very uncomfortable. I have tried many methods of stopping it without any consistent success. Can you tell me what causes hiccups and whether there is a reliable cure?Answer: Hiccups is one of those annoying medical problems that everyone has experienced at one time or another. It is caused by a spasm of the diaphragm, the large flat muscle between the chest cavity and the abdomen, which is responsible for moving air into the lungs.

Chester the Cat is lying in my personal chair, the one I sit in while watching the Magic.Usually I would kick his fat butt out because the Knicks game is on.But not this time. Chester is licking his wounds.Good boy, I tell him. Good cat.I stroke the top of his head.Normally Chester breaks for his food bowl whenever I am nice to him, but not this time. He gingerly licks his paw, the one with a torn claw on it that has left a small red stain on his white fur.Let me just issue a public apology to this cat.Sure, hes a eunuch with the girth of a hedgehog.